Sanitary drinking fountain



E. T. WEBSTER SANITARY DRINKING FOUNTAIN Jan .29, 1924.

Filed July 28. 1921 INVENTOR.

- ATTORNEY;-

Patented Jan. 29, 1924.

EDWARD T. WEBSTER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

' SANITARY DRINKING rounram.

Application filed 31113728, 1921. fierial No. 488,066.

relates to sanitary drinkwith by children and also are not entirely It has been sanitary after continued use. found that where the'fountains are installed in schools, for instance, or other places where children have free access to the drink-- ing fountains that they will attempt to squirt the water from the bowl and usually cause considerable annoyance. It has also been found that drinking fountains as heretofore constructed project the stream from a nozzle which is not cleared of any foreign matter automatically by the'flowing water and consequently will more or less contami nate the upwardly passing stream. Also, the vertical stream fountains have been found to retain contaminations atthe uppermost portion of the stream and fountains with large angles to the stream have also proven unsatisfactory as it is impossible to get the top of the str'eam' in the users mouth with the consequent result that usually the face is very much wet whenever an attempt is made to use the fountain.

This invention is designed to overcome these defects andthe primary objects of this invention are to provide a drinkingfountain which is entirely sanitary and which may not be tampered with so as to make the fountain squirt water outside ofthe catchbowl or drain'basin.

Further objects are to provide a drinking fountain which is so designed that any one attempting to squirt water from the fountain will find it difficult to reach the nozzle and also if such nozzle is reached will find that the wateris directed on to his arms or up his sleeves.

Further objects are to provide a drinking fountain in which the upwardly slightly slanting jet maybe accurately adjusted after the major portion of the fountain has been constructed, thereby avoiding the defects which have heretofore been encountered due to the warping of the nozzle and the consequent changing of the angle of such nozzle during the process of manufacture; and to generally simplify the construction and lessen the cost of manufacture of these drinking fountains.

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.. 1 is, a side elevation partly in section of one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of theinvention on a reduced scale.

Fig. 3 is a side elevationpartly in section of a second form of the invention.

Fig. 4c is a plan view on a reduced scale of the structure shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the nozzle on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation partly in section of the nozzle. 7

Fig. 7 is a side elevation taken at right angles to that shown in Fig. 6.

The fountain comprises preferably a vitreous china Or porcelain lined bowl 1 which may conveniently be supported by brackets 25 and is provided with a waste pipe 2 suitably joined to the bowl by means of fittings 3 and 4. The supply pipe 5 is connected to the outer under side of the fountain as may be seen in Fig. 1 and is secured in place by means of suitable clamping nuts'or unions 6. A cut off valve 7 is provided in the supply pipe so that when it is not desired to use the fountain, the flow of water may be readily stopped. In the form shown in'the drawing, this cutoff valve is provided with the usual operative handle 8. It is, however, contemplated providing a socketed removable handle so that after the adjustment has been made it cannot thereafter be tampered with when the handle is removed.

' The shape of the bowl in the first form of the invention is generally circular as may be seen from Fig. 2 with a substantially centrally positioned outlet 9. At one portion of the lnner side ofthe upwardly. extending flange, a relatively narrow. deep recess 10 is formed. This recess has curved walls which merge into the walls of the basin and also has a downwardly and inwardly inclined bottom edge 11 adapted to direct'any saliva or sediment inwardly into the basin and away from the nozzle. This slanting edge" 11 gradually merges into the rounded inner against which the descending portion 13 of the stream of water is adapted to strike. It tobe'noted that the water does not spat ter when striking this form ofsurface and at this particular angle, but is merely smoothly guided downwardly toward the central portion of the bowl to escape through line.

The nozzle comprises a separate metal,

vitreous china, or porcelain member having a conical head 1e and a cylindrical shank 15.

.This cylindrical shank is adapted to be cemented in place within the opening 16 formed in the bowl at the slanting surface 11. i p

The nozzle is made of a separate piece which is provided as described with the conical upper portion 14 and the cylindrical lower portion 15. An outwardly extending flange 16 is provided between these portions so as to properly position the nozzle while it is being cemented in place; Before the cement sets, the nozzlemay be adjusted to give the upwardly extending stream the ex-- act angle desired. This nozzle is provided with three radially arranged openingsl? which communicate with the central opening 18. It is also provided with a gradually.

flaring slot 19 in communication with the central opening and extending completely outwardly through the outer surface of the nozzle. This slot is arranged 'to point toward the central portion of the bowl, two of the radial openings pointing toward the sides of the opening 10. and. the third one toward the rear portion thereof. The upper surface of the nozzle is provided with a pair of upwardly extendingprojections 15) located one upon either side of the flaring slot 19.; These projections make it increasingly diflicult for a personto close the upper endof the opening 18 and at" the same time stop the slot 19. It is to'be noted that the slot flares outwardly, towards the place where it meets the inclined surface .of the nozzle.' Itis alsomore constricted towards the upper outer edge as indicated in Fig. 7

so that the projections 19 approach each other. 7 V I V j I It is to be noted that when one stops the central opening withhis finger by inserting it within the opening 10 in a substantially horizontal position, he will find it impossible to completely stop the slot 19 and water will therefore be directed outwardl along his arm andup his sleeve. Also, tl1e radial openings 17 will direct the water against the curved side edges of the opening 10 and such water will also tend to wash outwardly toward the central portionof the bowl and on to the persons arm or sleeve, no matter at what angle the finger'is insorted.

This naturally will discourage tampering with the drinking fountain. It is to be noted that there is no splashingbeyond the limits of the fountain although the upper end of the opening 18 may be completely stopped.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the second form of the invention and it will be noted that the construction is essentially the same as that previously described, with, however, the ex ception that the fountain is supportedfrom the side wall. The shape of the bowl is substantially elliptical with the cut out' por tion 10 positioned upon the major axes of the ellipse. The drain pipe and cut off valve are completely housed within the apron portion 20 of the bowl. The handle 21, however, may extend outwardly through the side of the bowl and may be socketed so as to be removed after the adjustment has been secured.

A convenient way'of forming this'bowl is to provide a comparatively light bottom portion 22 and comparatively light side walls 23 such portions being of integral formation joined over the upper or rounded edges of the bowl as may be seen from the sectioned portion of Fig. 3. In this manner, a lighter bowl may be provided. Suitable flanges 24 extend laterally from the rear portion of the fountain and are adaptedto be secured to a wall to properly position the bowl.

The ledge or'surface 11 is preferably inclined as'shown in the drawings but it may happen that during the baking process this ledge becomes substantially horizontal or level. Under these conditions, the bowl need not be discarded as the nozzle'may then be providedwith an orifice 18 arranged. at an appropriate angle to the axis of the nozzle. In this manner, the inclined stream is still secured although the bowl has slightly warped out of shape. In this connection, it is to be understood that where the expression inclined aperture is used it is intended to cover either of the two forms of construction whereby this inclination. is secured, or in fact any equivalent or similar structure.

Itwill thus be seen that a 'drinking fountain has been provided in which the angle of the upwardly projecting jet may be accurately adjusted after the major portion of the bowl has been formed, thereby mate rially reducing the number of'throw outs orseconds that would be producedin the. older methods of manufacture.

It will also be seen that a drinking fountain has been provided which is practically fool-proof and which cannot be tampered with so as to cause splashing or squirting of the water awa from the catch basin.

A further a vantage secured by fountains constructed in accordance with this invention is the lessening of danger to the user, although the user may have his head suddenly pushed down against the fountain. In schools and in public places, children frequently play practical jokes upon each other by shovin the head of a person using the fountain downwardly against portions of the fountains. In cases where an exposed drinking head is provided, the teeth of the user are frequently broken or seriously dam aged under these conditions. However. the present invention overcomes these defects.

I claim:

1. In a drinking fountain, the combination of a catch bowl and a nozzle therein, said nozzle being provided with an upwardly extending laterally inclined nozzle port leading through the top of the nozzle, said nozzle also having a series of openings leading from an intermediate portion of the port through the walls of said nozzle below the outer margin thereof.

2. In a drinking fountain, the combina-.

tion of a catch bowl and a nozzle therein, said nozzle being provided with a longitudinal port inclined from the vertical and said nozzle also having a radial slot extending from said port through the walls of said nozzle below the outlet of said port, said slot extending downwardly from said outlet.

3. A drinking fountain comprising a bowl having a cavity formed therein and provided with closely adjacent walls, a nozzle positioned within said cavity and having an aperture inclined to the vertical, and a series of radial passages in communication with said aperture whereby when a person stops said aperture, water will be directed through such passageways against the walls of said cavity and thereby directed on to a part of such person.

4. A drinking fountain comprising a bowl having a recessed portion provided with an inclined bottom surface and relatively ways in communication with said aperture whereby any material falling within the recess will be washed from said inclined bottom surface into the bowl and whereby when the central aperture is stoppped, water will be directed against the side walls of the aperture and into the bowl, thereby preventing s uirting outside of the bowl.

5. drinking fountain comprising a bowl provided with a recessed relatively narrow and deep portion and a nozzle positioned within such recess and extending a slight distance thereabove, said nozzle being located wholly below the upper surface of said bowl and being provided with an aperture inclined to the vertical and with a pluralityof radial apertures in communication therewith.

6. A drinking fountain comprising a catch bowl, a nozzle positioned within said bowl, said nozzle having an aperture inclined to the vertical, a slot in communication therewith and a pair of upwardly projecting lips formed adjacent said aperture upon opposite sides of said slot.

7. A drinking fountain comprising a catch bowl, a nozzle positioned therein and having an aperture inclined to the vertical, and a series of radial apertures in communication therewith, said nozzle also having a slot in communication with said first mentioned aperture and a pair of lips extending upwardly from opposite sides of said slot and in close proximity to said first mentioned aperture.

8. In a drinking fountain, the combinat1OIl Of a catch bowl and a nozzle therein, said nozzle being providedwith a port inclined to the vertical and also having a series of' radial openings extending through the walls of said nozzle and communicating with said aperture below the outer margin thereof, and a radial slot extending through the walls of said nozzle and communicating with said aperture.

7 EDWARD T. WEBSTER. 

